“I hope it encourages people to take things into their own hands and integrate music into their lives," Isabelle Raynauld says of her new documentary, Tuning the Brain with Music.Dave Sidaway/ Montreal Gazette

But there was music in her home all the time. Her parents met in a choir at university, and her mother played piano. Her grandfather had been an opera singer.

When Raynauld suffered a concussion in 2010, listening to music was part of her path to healing, as prescribed by her doctor. That got her to thinking. As a followup to her 2006 documentary The Mystical Brain, about altered states provoked by meditation, she began to wonder about the transformative powers of music.

Her new bilingual documentary, Tuning the Brain with Music, began when Raynauld was granted a fellowship at MIT, which put her on a path of accumulating scientific and real-life examples of how human existence is positively affected by song.

Advertisement

Story continues below

This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.

Article content continued

“I really think music, for the brain, is the equivalent of oxygen for the lungs,” Raynauld said. “It regenerates you. It can change your mood in five minutes. And there are no side-effects.”

Among the film’s subjects is Harvey Alter, a former criminologist based in New York, who developed aphasia, losing the ability to speak following a stroke in 2003. He eventually taught himself to talk again, by singing.

Raynauld sits down with Guitars for Vets Canada founder Jim Lowther, who uses music to help his fellow army veterans deal with PTSD.

“These guys play together and it bypasses speech therapy,” she said. “You can express very, very different emotions than with words. You can express yourself in a profound way and enter into a relationship with somebody else without explanation.”

Advertisement

Story continues below

This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.

Article content continued

Raynauld experienced the phenomenon first-hand when she approached Julien Perrin about talking to participants in his musical therapy program for homeless youth at Montreal’s Dans la rue.

Before committing to anything, Perrin asked her to attend the weekly drum circles at the centre.

“I actually really enjoyed the drum circles,” Raynauld said. “They healed me, too. A lot of these young people have incredible stories — a lot of them are extremely talented and profound but life has dealt them another set of cards.”

She was particularly struck by the story of one young man in the group, Mike, and how music has given him a sense of purpose.

Advertisement

Story continues below

This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.

Article content continued

“He has such insight,” Raynauld said. “Music saved his life, it has kept him alive. “

In Westmount, a music-therapy program for autistic children helps the youngsters communicate in ways they never could otherwise, as they pick up instruments and microphones and sing about their day.

And at the Montreal Children’s Hospital, a music therapist eases the pain of infants born prematurely, simply by singing to them.

“One of the things that surprised me was the immediacy with which music can affect a person’s anxiety, and cool their burning thoughts,” Raynauld said. “Premature babies can reorganize themselves, calm down and slow their heart rate. I witnessed all that in a 20-minute music-therapy session. These babies would enter a different state.”

Advertisement

Story continues below

This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.

Article content continued

To add weight to her survey, Raynauld speaks with neuroscientist David Poeppel at MIT, as well as members of Montreal’s International Laboratory for Brain, Music and Sound Research.

“The goal of the film is to find not only stories but proof of what music does to the cells of the body and the brain,” Raynauld said.

By spending time with her subjects, and letting their stories of musical redemption emerge as a matter of course, she hopes her film can convince people of music’s vast potential and healing attributes.

“I hope it encourages people to take things into their own hands,” she said, “and integrate music into their lives, either by singing, learning an instrument, joining a choir … or listening to a song that moves you. Music has real healing powers.”

AT A GLANCE

Tuning the Brain with Music screens Friday to Thursday, Jan. 30 at Cinéma du Musée. For showtimes, visit cinemadumusee.com.

Share this article in your social network

Trending

Related Stories

This Week in Flyers

Article Comments

Comments

Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion and encourage all readers to share their views on our articles. Comments may take up to an hour for moderation before appearing on the site. We ask you to keep your comments relevant and respectful. We have enabled email notifications—you will now receive an email if you receive a reply to your comment, there is an update to a comment thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information and details on how to adjust your email settings.

Notice for the Postmedia Network

This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.